Since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when people were confined indoors, Japanese songs began to gain popularity in Korea through platforms like YouTube and Spotify.
Additionally, J-pop songs have basically been taking over the SNS platform TikTok, leading to beliefs that the value of the J-pop is constantly growing.
Considering that the Korean music scene isn’t at all lacking in terms of domestic songs, how did this happen?
In fact, from historical, geographical, to cultural elements, all of these somewhat contribute to J-pop’s popularity in Korea.
To explain, in the 1990s, Japanese content such as anime, music and dramas became more accessible due to the geographical proximity between the two countries. Following the cultural opening in 1998, a wave of Japanese content poured into Korea.
The popularity of Japanese anime and games also brought attention to their OSTs, with works like “Your Name” achieving immense popularity in Korea, significantly influencing J-POP’s appeal.
Furthermore, J-POP’s unique sensibility and style, combined with its poetic and distinctive lyrics, have resonated with Korean audiences. Japan’s strong band culture has also garnered considerable support, especially as the Korean music landscape is not exactly brimming for bands.
J-POP’s unique take on sentimental and alternative rock – a genre that has yet to have current prominent artists in Korea, also plays a crucial role in its popularity.
Additionally, the city pop craze has contributed to the rise of J-POP, intertwining various factors to create the current surge in its popularity in Korea.
All in all, the J-POP fever in Korea can be boiled down to the spread of Japanese media (namely game, anime, and manga) and the exploration of genres that Korean artists have yet to extensively indulge in (such as rock, city pop, and metal).
Source: Daum
